Bullet handling apparatus



Sept. 30, 1947. R. w. VERGOBB! BULLET HANDLING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 .Filed Jan. 21. 1943 KNVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

R. W. VERGOBBI BULLET HANDLING APPARATUS Sept. 30, 1941.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 21, 1943 0o oooooooq Oooooaeooo Qooooooooo Patented Sept. 30, 1947 Robert William to Pneumatic Scale Corporation,

Quincy, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application January 21, 1943,

6 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for handling bullets and similar elongated objects.

The invention has for an object to provide novel and improved apparatus for handling bullets or the like, of the type having provision for withdrawing the bullets from a bulk supply thereof to form a plurality of elongated rows of bullets and in which provision is made for orienting the bullets in a novel and improved manner to cause them to extend in the same general direction to facilitate packing thereof.

Vergobbi, Quincy, Mass, assignor Limited,

Serial No. 4'1 3,091

With this general object in view and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the bullet handling apparatus and in the various structures, arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of bullet handling apparatus embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustratingthe driving mechanism for the present apparatus; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the orienting mechanism, some of the parts being broken away to more clearly illustrate the invention; Fig. 4 is a side elevation in cross section of Fig. 3, the section being taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views taken on the lines 5-5 and 5-6 respectively of Fig. 4; and Fig. 7 is a plan view of a bullet holding and transfer member into which the orientated bullets are delivered for a purpose to be hereinafter more fully described.

In general, the present invention contemplates apparatus having provision for withdrawing or releasing elongated cylindrical objects, such as bullets, from a bulk supply thereof, arranging the bullets thus released end to end in a plurality of adjacent elongated rows, without discrimination as to whether the pellet ends of the bullets point forwardly or rearwardly, and then delivering the bullets thus disposed into orienting mechanism designed to cause the bullets to assume a. position in which the pellet ends thereof all point in the same direction. The orientated bullets are then guided into a holding and transferring member arranged to support the bullets in a definite uniform and compact group to facilitate transference into a carton or other container.

The present bullet handling apparatus contemplates conveying mechanism for moving a plurality of rows of the bullets or similar elongated objects arranged end to end into position to cooperate with novel and eflicient orienting mecha- 'Bullet handling apparatus, now

2 nism by which the indiscriminately arranged bullets in the several rows are caused to assume a uniform position, i. e., with corresponding ends of the bullets pointing in the same direction. While the bullets may be fed onto the conveying mechanism by hand or otherwise, nevertheless in practice, the present bullet orienting mechanism is designed to be embodied in a bullet handling machine having bullet feeding or releasing mechanism for feeding the bullets upon the conveying mechanism, preferably of the type illustrated and described in a. copending application filed by me on even date herewith, Serial No. 473,092, for Patent No. 2,406,176. Inasmuch as the present invention is not concerned with the details of such feeding mechanism, it is sumcient to state that the same comprises the supply hopper Hi having opposed sets of circumferentially grooved wheels l3, l5 associated therewith which cooperate to form cylindrical openings at their points of tangency through which the bullets may pass end to end with the bullets in each row indicriminately arranged as to the direction in which they point.

Referring now to the drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention, Ill represents a supply hopper into which a bulk supply of the bullets are deposited and which has associated therewith bullet feeding or releasing mechanism, indicated generally at l2, adapted to release successive bullets therefrom end to end in the direction of their longitudinal axes without discrimination as to whether the pellet ends of the bullets point forwardly or rearwardly. The bullets thus released are guided by a curved plate It onto a. plurality of continuously moving belts l6 to form a plurality of adjacent elongated rows of bullets for delivery to the orienting device indicated generally at i8. I

The individual belts it upon which the bullets are carried forwardly end to end in single file columns are arranged to run over pulleys 20, 22 and across a guide plate 24 supported upon brackets 25 attached to the platen 28. The idler pulley 20 is carried on a shaft 30 supported between arms 32 of a bracket 34 depending from the underside of the guide plate 24, and the driving pulley 22 is mounted fast upon a, drive shaft 38 journalled in a bracket 38 attached to the platen 28.

The bullets are guided rails 40 upstanding from on the belts 16 between the guide plate 26 which the bullets to be observed and to form an enclosure to prevent foreign matter from entering into the guideways 4 4.

' Provision is made for stopping each line of bullets and for releasing the foremost bullet in each line so as to permit them to enter the orienting device I8 simultaneously in a transverse row while the remainder of each line is held back. As

herein shown, a timing and releasing device, indicated generally at 46 is arranged to release s'uccesslve transverse rows of bullets periodically so as to permit orderly arrangement thereof when they are discharged from the orienting device as will be hereinafter described. The bullets are advanced along theirrespective belts I6 until the foremost bullet in each line comes to rest against individual stop fingers 48 carried by and depending from a transverse bar 58 arranged to be moved to present the fingers into and out of alignment with the bullets in the guideways 44.

As herein illustrated, the transverse bar 58 is slidingly mounted in side brackets 52, 54 attached to the forward end of the guide plate 24. A spring 56 is arranged to move the transverse bar '58 in one direction to align the fingers 48 with their respective guideways 44, the bar being adjustably limited in its movement in this direction by a stop screw 58. The bar 58 is arranged to be intermittently moved in the opposite direction to permit the bullets to pass, by connections including a cam 68 mounted on a cam shaft 62 and which is arranged to cooperate with a roller 64 carried by one arm 66 of a bell crank, as best shown in Fig. 2. The bell crank is pivotally mounted on a crossshaft 68 and the second arm 18 thereof is connected by a link I2 to a lever 14 carried at the lower end of a vertically mounted shaft 16. The upper end of the shaft I8 carries an arm I8 arranged to engage one end of the-transverse bar 58 latter to the left, viewing Fig. 6, to permit the bullets to pass through into the orienting device I8 at the proper time.

to effect movement of the through to point in the sam direction,

ing cycle of operation of the machine.

When starting the machine, in order to assure that each guideway or reservoir 44 is supplied with a sufllcient number of bullets to begin operation, provision is made forrendering the bar 88 ineffective to release any bullets until all the guideways have been provided with bullets from the releasing device. As herein shown, a manually operated latch I86, pivotally mounted at I88 in the side bracket 52, is arranged to bemanually rocked to the right, viewing Fig. 5, to the position illustrated in dotted lines therein, in which position the latch I88 will engage a stop member II8 provided on the bar 88 in order to hold the bar back against the tension of the spring 84. Thus, the fiat springs 82 are held in position to engage and hold the line of bullets as they are delivered from the hop er, and when a sufficient number of bullets has been supplied to start operation, as may be observed through the trans- .parent cover 42, the latch I86 is rocked back out of theway to permit normal operation of the device, as above described.

From the description thus far it will be observed that a transverse row of bullets comprising the foremost bullet in each line thereof is periodically released by the timing mechanism 46 into the orienting device I8 and that when'the bullets arrive at the orienting device they may be pointed either pellet end first or firing end first according to the position in which they were released from the feeding device I2, as above described. The illustrated orienting device I8 is designed to cause the bullets passing therethat is,

with their heavier or pellet ends pointed for- In order to hold back the remainder of each line of bullets so that only the foremost thereof pass into the orienting device at one time, a second'transverse bar 88 is provided which is also slidingly mounted in the side brackets 52, 54. The transverse bar 88 is provided with a plurality of depending fiat springs 82 arranged to extend into the guideways arranged to be moved to the left, viewing Fig. 5, by a spring 84 to dispose the fiat springs 82 in sockets 86 cut in the upstanding rails 48, as illustrated, to permit the bullets to pass. A stop screw 88 is provided to limit the movement of the bar 88 to the left, and movement in the opposit direction, which is effected by a cam 98, will cause the fiat springs 82 to be yieldingly pressed against the side of their adjacent bullets to hold the rows stationary.

The cam 88 is mounted on the cam shaft 82 and is arranged to cooperate with. a roller 82 carried by one arm 94 of a two-armed lever, the is connected by a link I88 on the lower end of a vertical 44 and the bar 88 is mounted between the plates H8,

The upper end of the shaft I82 carposed movable fingers or wardly and to guide the orientated bullets into achute II2 arranged to deliver the bullets into a holding and transfer member I I4.

The orienting device, as herein shown, comprises a plurality of separate guideways or chambers II6 formed adjacent the ends of the conveyer belts I6 by partition plates I I8 and by front and rear spacing members I28, I22 respectively the assembled unit being supported upon cross rods I24, I26 extending between end blocks I28. The latter are attached by bolts 6 I38 tolugs I32 extending from either side of the bracket 38. A tripping rod I34 extending transversely through each chamber] I8 is disposed in the path of a bullet passing therethrough in a-substantially horizontal position so that in operation when a bullet strikes the rod I34 it is tripped'or overbalanced in the direction of its heavier or pellet end and continues its travel through the chamber in this position into the chute H2.

Provision is made for assuring a horizontal disposition of the bullets prior to their engagement with the trippingrod I34 and as herein shown, a plurality of relatively narrow horizontally-displatforms I36 are arranged, in one position of operation, to extend into the chambers IIG i mediately above the tripping rod I34 so as to intercept the bullets as they fall and to cause them to come to rest in a horizontal position. Th relatively narrow fingers I36 are carried by a transverse bar I38 arforwardly ranged to be intermittently moved to move the fingers out of the chambers'and into alignment with the partition plates M8 to permit the horizontally disposed bullets to pass and to en age the tripping rod, as above described.

As herein illustrated, the transverse bar I38 is slidlngly mounted in forwardly extending supports I40 attached to the bracket 38 and is arranged to'be moved from one position of operation to another by connections including a cam I42 mounted on the cam shaft 62. One arm I44 of a two-armed lever pivotally mounted on the shaft 68 carries a roller I46 cooperating with the cam I42, and the armed lever is connected by a link I50 toan arm I52 fast on the lower end of a vertical shaft I54, as best shown in Fig. 1. The vertical shaft I54 is supported in a bearing bracket I56 attached to the bracket 38 and is provided at its upper end with a slotted arm I58 arranged to embrace a slide block I60 carried by a stud I62 fast in the transverse bar I38.

In the operation of the orienting device, when a transverse row of bullets is released by the timing device 46 each bullet passes in a longitudinal direction over the end of its individual belt and into its separate chamber or guideway II6, passing down a sloped portion I64 of the spacing member I22 which directs the bullet to its platform I36 to dispose the bullet at rest in a horizontal position and at right angles to the tripping rod I34. Theguideways are of a width such as to confine the bullets to their longitudinal disposition and to prevent lateral movement thereof, and the distance between the front and rear spacing members' I20, I22 at the point adjacent the fingers I36 provides sufficient clearance to permit the bullets to lie horizontally, as shown in Fig. 4. When the transverse bar is moved to the left viewing Fig. 3, the bullets roll off their platforms and, in falling they strike the tripping rod I34 at a point approximately in the middle of the bullet. As above stated, the bullets may at this point be disposed with their pellet ends directed either or rearwardly. However, when the bullet strikes the rod at about the middle of its length, it overbalances in the direction of its heavier'or pellet end and passes downwardly to one or the other side of the tripping rod I34. The bullets then fall pellet end first onto the chute II2, being guided thereto by a lower sloping wall I66 of the rear spacing member I22.

When the bullets are released from the orienting device I8 they are arranged to be received in individual V-shaped grooves I68 of the chute II2 which is disposed to guide the bullets into selected rows of the bullet-holding and transfer member H4. The latter comprises a studded tray, movably supported upon an angularly disposed guide bracket I10. As shown in Fig. '7, the holding and transfer member II4 comprises a base portion I12 and a plurality of short pales or studs I14 upstanding therefrom in a plurality of equally spaced rows. The spaces or sockets I16 formed between each four adjacent studs I14 are proportioned to receive the bullets and to support them in a substantially vertical position with the pellet ends extending downwardly so that the peripheries of adjacent bullets supported thereby are substantially touching each other whereby to form a compact and uniform arrangement thereof suitable for transfer to a carton.

The V-shaped grooves I68 of the chute II2 are arranged to converge downwardly, as illustrated in Fig. 3, to guide the bullets into adjacent sockets second arm I48 of the two- I16 of the holding and transfer member II4. It will be observed that the number of bullets released into the chute II2, per cycle of operation of the machine, preferably corresponds to the number of spaces I16 in one transverse row of the palet. In order to successively fill adjacent rows of the palet provision is made for automatically moving the delivery end of the chute so that upon completing one cycle of operation to fill one row of the palet, herein shown as the top row, the chute is moved to present the delivery end thereof into a position to fill an adjacent row during the next cycle of operation until, in the illustrated device, the five rows are filled, whereupon the delivery end of the chute is automatically raised to fill the top row of a succeeding holding and transfer member which may be manually presented to the guideway I10.

As illustrated in Fig. 4, the upper portion of the chute I I2 is secured to a flattened portion I18 of a cross shaft I80 rockingly mounted in opposed arms I82 of the bracket 38 and the lower portion of the chute is connected by a link I84 to one arm I86 of a cam lever, see Fig. 2, pivotally mounted on a cross shaft I88. The second arm I90 of the cam lever carries a roller I82 which cooperates with a cam I84 mounted fast on a slowly rotating cam shaft I96. A spring I88 may be provided to hold the roller I82 against its cam. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the cam I94 is provided with five progressively increased cam surfaces, and the cam is driven in timed relation to the timing device 46 and to the movement of the transverse bar I38 for releasing the bullets into the chute H2 so that each time a row of bullets is delivered to the holding and transfer member, the chute is moved a distance corresponding to one row until the last row isfilled whereupon a to prevent the relatively swiftly traveling sharp drop in the cam surface operates to raise the chute into a position to fill the top row of a succeeding holding and transfer member. An upper guide plate 200 may be provided on the chute adjacent the point of minimum convergence where the V-shaped grooves change from an angular to a straight line, as shown, in order bullets from being diverted out of the chute at this point.

The machine may be driven through connections from a motor 202, and, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the motor is connected by a belt 204 to a clutch pulley 206 mounted on a shaft 208 and which is arranged to be engaged and disengaged into and from driving relation to the shaft 208 by connections including a clutch handle 2I0, as illustrated. The shaft 208 is provided with a pinion 2I2 which meshes with a gear 2 I 4 on an intermediate shaft 2I6 and the latter is provided with a pinion 2I8 cooperating with a gear 220 fast on the cam shaft 62. The driving mechanism from the cam shaft 62 to the driving pulley shaft 36 over which the conveyer belts I6 run includes a pinion 222 on the shaft 62, a gear 224 on an intermediate shaft 226, and a sprocket 228 connected by achain 230 to a sprocket 232 fast on the shaft 36. The shaft 36 is also provided with a sprocket 234 which is connected by a chain 236 to a sprocket 238 for driving the bullet feeding or re- In practice, when a holding and transfer mem-' ber is filled, the. operator may take a' carton or,

other container in one hand and place it in an inverted position over the bullets supported in the holding and transfer member while holding.

' and predetermined arrangement.

In the operation of the machine, the bullets are releasedjrom the hopper ill to present them in longitudinal rows, end to end, in the guideways 44 without discrimination as to whether the pellet ends point forwardly or backwardly. The lines of bullets thus arranged are then advanced on the continuously moving belts I 6 until they reach the timing and releasing mechanism 46 where they are brought to rest. The timing mechanism 46 'is adapted to periodically release the foremost bullet in each line thereof to form a transverse row which is permitted to pass into the orienting device l8. The orienting device causes the bullets to all point in the same direction, that is, with their pellet ends extended member;

' vice and for operation in timed relationship so thata row '8 and means interconnecting said means a row of bullets from said orienting desaid means moving said inclined chute releasing of bullets is releasedfor every changed position of said chute.

2. A bullet orienting and delivering apparatus,

comprising: an orienting device including means defining a plurality of transversely aligned chambers, each chamber being adapted to receive one of a simultaneously delivered row of bullets, having their horizontal axes parallel but indiscriminately arranged as to whether the pellet ends are directed forwardly or rearwardly, a plurality of horizontally extending fingers, one for each of said chambers, for supporting said bullets in a horizontal plane, means for moving said fingers 1 in unison in a direction transverse to the horiforwardly whereupon the orientated bullets are discharged onto a chute H2 which is arranged to guide the bullets into the holding and transfer member having provision for supporting a plurality of adjacent rows of'bullets. During each cycle of operation, one row of bullets is fed into the holding and, transfer member, and upon delivery of one row, the delivery end of the chute is moved to present it into alignment with the next adjacent row in the holding and transfer member until thelast row is filled, whereupon the chute is moved to fill the first row of a succeeding holding and transfer member which has been manually moved into position.

From the above description it will be observed thatv the present apparatus is adapted for orientation and arrangement of various elongated articles including either tapered or conical bullets as well as those bullets which are of uniform cross section throughout their length.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it will be understood bodied in other forms within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A bullet orienting and delivering apparatus, comprising: an orienting device adapted to receive a simultaneously advanced transverse row of bullets having their horizontal axes parallel but indiscriminately arranged as to whether the pellets ends are directed forwardly or rearwardly', and including means to release a rowof said bullets in unison with the pellet ends of said bullets pointing downward; an inclined chute pivotally mounted adjacent its upper end having grooves therein for receiving a row of bullets released from said orienting device, a member for supporting a bullet receivin holding and transfer member closely adjacent the discharge end of said chute, said holding and transfer member having a plurality of transversely arranged rows Of pockets, each transverse row being adapted toreceive a row of bullets released from said orienting device; means for moving the discharge end of said chute in a stepwise manner from one transverse row-0f pockets to an adjacent row of pockets of said holding and transfer that the invention may be emzontal axes ofsaid bullets so as to allow said bullets to fall, and a. tripping rod positioned in each of said chambers so that a falling bullet contacts said rodsubstantially medially of the length of said bullet and is tilted by gravity so as to pass from said orienting device with its heavier end pointing downward; a pivotally mounted inclined chute having grooves thereinregistering'with the discharge end of each of said chambers for receiving a row of bullets released therefrom; a member for supporting a bullet receiving holding and transfer member closely adjacent the discharge end of said chute, said holding and transfer member having a plurality of transversely arranged rows of pockets, each transverse row being adapted toreceive a row of bullets released from said orienting device; means for moving the discharge end of said chutein a stepwise manner from an upper to an adjacent lower transverse row of pockets of said holding and transfer member, and in a continuous manner from the lowermost row of pockets of one holding and transfer member to the uppermost .row of a subsequently positioned holding and transfer member; and means interconnecting said means moving said fingers in unison and the means moving said inclined chute for operation in timed relationship so that a row of bullets is released for every changed position of said chute. a

3. A bullet delivering device, comprising: an inclined chute pivotally mounted adjacent its upper end having a plurality of longitudinal grooves therein adapted to receive a row of oriented bullets; a member for supporting a bullet receiving holding and transfer member closely adjacent the discharge end of said chute, said holding and transfer member having a plurality of transversely arranged rows of pockets, each transverse row being adapted to receive a row of bullets discharged from said inclined chute; and means for moving the discharge end of said chute in a stepwise manner from one row of said pockets to an adjacent row of said pockets.

4. A bullet delivering device, comprising: an inclined chute pivotally mounted adjacent its upper end having a plurality of longitudinal grooves therein adapted to receive a row of oriented bullets; a member for supporting a bullet receiving holdin and transfer member, closely adjacent the discharge end of said chute, said holding and transfer member having a plurality of transversely arranged rows of pockets, each transverse row being adapted to receive a row of bullets discharged from said inclined chute; and means including a cam for moving the discharge end of said chute in a stepwise manner from one row of said pockets to an adjacent row of said pockets. l

5. "A bul t ,delivering device, comprising: an inclined chute pivotally mounted adjacent its upper end having a plurality of longitudinal grooves therein adapted to receive a row of oriented bullets; a member for supporting a bullet receiving holding and transfer member closely adjacent the discharge end of said chute, said holding and transfer member having a plurality of transversely arranged rows of pockets, each transverse row being adapted to receive a row of bullets discharged from said inclined chute; and means including a cam having a series of dwells of progressively decreasing radius for moving the discharge end of said chute in a stepwise manner from one row of said ockets to an adjacent row of said pockets.

6. A bullet delivering device, comprising: an

' inclined chute pivotally mounted adjacent its upper end having a plurality of longitudinal grooves therein adapted to receive a row or oriented bullets; a member for supporting a bullet receiving "holding and transfer member closely adjacent the discharge end of said chute, said holding and transfer member having a plurality of transversely arranged rows of pockets, each transverse row being adapted to receive a row said inclined chute;

of bullets discharged from and means for moving the discharge end of said inclined chute in a stepwise manner from a first row of pockets of said holding and transfer memher to each adjacent row 'of pockets of said holding and transfer member, and then in a continuous manner from the last row of pockets of said holding and transfer member to a first row of a subsequently positioned holding and transfer member.

ROBERT VERGOBBI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

